BHOPAL MARCH 15: As per the state government status report submitted to
the Supreme Court in March 30, 2000, 181 posts, including five posts of Associate
Professor, ten posts of Assistant Professor, 16 posts of resident medical officer, 129
posts of paramedical staff and 21 posts of administrative cadre were established for the
recruitment in the Kamla Nehru Gas Relief Hospital, But till now only 12 doctors are
recruited in the hospital against the set requirements and that too on deputation basis.
Ten are medical officers while other two are specialists. One of the foremost reasons for
delay in recruitments is reported to be the delay in installation of required medical
instruments in the hospital.

Kamla nehru Gas Relief Hospital which started functioning
on January 14, 2000 is yet to start other departments. Even after the assurances of the
gas relief and rehabilitation minister Arif Aqueel to start the multi-crore hospital
fullfledgedly from December 31, 2000, its intensive care unit (ICU) is yet to be opened.
other wards including 15 bedded neurology, 20 bedded psychiatric and 10 bedded
nephrology ward may start this week. The equipment worth Rs seven crore in 30 crore
project like CT scan, colour doppler and Image Intensifier Television are still awaited.
According to the sources delay is largely attributable to the dubious role played by the
Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (HSCC). The HSCC is authorized for placing
orders and obtaining various equipments for the hospitals meant for gas victims. It is
public sector undertaking, paid five per cent commission for procurement of equipments
without the established procedure of asking for bids. HSCC is supplier as well as
consultant in purchasing of the equipments meant for the gas hospitals. it is sole
arbitrator in the purchase, sources added.

It is also being speculated that the Kamla Nehru hospital located in the premises of
Gandhi Medical College (GMC) would be eventually usurped by the GMC, contrary to the
intention for which the hospital was established, sources further added.

The facilities presently available at Kamla Nehru hospital's gastroenterology
department, which started on January 14, 2000 included video endoscopy, colonoscopy (to
check disorder of large intestine) and small intestine fibroscope; four dialysis unit
worth Rs 85 lakh were also started on January 14, 2000; 20 bedded ophthalmology department
began on October 24, 2000.

Gastro surgery unit was started on February 23, 2001. LAPCHOLEY (laproscopic
cholecystectomy) machine installed at the unit is one of its kind in the state used for
removal of gall bladder by means of laproscope. However, all abdominal surgeries will be
performed at the Kamla Nehru hospital itself. Other than gas victims, cases referred to
the hospital by other hospitals will also be entertained, but they will be charged
according to the fee fixed by the state government.